Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy with Garlic and Soy Sauce
This quick and easy recipe for stir fried baby bok choy with garlic and soy sauce delivers a restaurant-quality side dish full of savory and umami flavors. Aside from being absolutely delicious, it is also nutritious, budget-friendly, and ready in less than 15 minutes!
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add the bok choy, and cook for one minute.
Quickly drain the bok choy, transfer to the ice bath to stop the cooking, and when cool, drain again, and dry with a clean towel or paper towels.
Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the bok choy and toss to coat, cooking and stirring until just beginning to brown, 2-3 minutes.
Add the soy sauce and mushroom sauce, stir to coat and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer to a serving dish, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle sesame seeds over as a garnish.
Notes
Use bok choy instead: If you can't find baby bok choy in your local market, use regular-sized bok choy and cut them in half lengthwise. Cutting them in half will also allow the sauce to be infused into the leaves, giving each bite additional flavor.
Why to blanch first: The initial step of blanching and cooling the bok choy isn't strictly necessary. However, that simple process locks in the bright green color of the vegetable and makes the bok choy much more tender and sweeter than simply stir-frying raw.
Prep ingredients first: Make sure all your ingredients are ready and within reach once you start stir-frying. You will need to get the condiments and seasoning in there on time, or you will end up with a burnt dish.
Taste test & season: Taste the dish before adding salt. Keep in mind that soy sauce and mushroom sauce are already flavorful.